Game apparatus



2 Sheets-Sheet 1;

(No Model.)

1). BROOKS, Jr.

GAME APPARATUS.

No. 395,261. Patented Dec. 25, 1888.

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(No Model.) v 2 Sheds-Sheet 2.

v D. BRUOKS. Jr.

GAME APPARATUS.

No. 395,261. Patented Dec. 25, 1888..

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DAVID BROOKS, JR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,261, dated December25, 1888.

Application filed April 7, 1888. Serial No. 269,960- (No model) To allwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, DAVID BROOKS, J12, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an ImprovedGame Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of games in which anindicating-target is combined with rolling projectiles to operate theindicating devices; and the object of my inven tion to construct asimple game of this character in an economical manner.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal side view of,my improved game. Fig. 2 is a transverse section 011 the line 1 2, Fig.1, drawn to larger scale. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the line 3at, Fig. 2. Fig. 4; is a transverse section 011 the line 5 6, Fig. 2.Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the. gun or implement for aiming andprojecting the rolling projectiles. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of oneof the indicatinglevers detached, and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of apart.

The apparatus consists of an alley-way, A, of suitable length-say aboutthree feet longwith side walls and, preferably, also .end walls, andhaving at one end the indicating devices B, constituting the target. Theother end is arranged to be elevated by means of suitable feet or legs,a, so that the alley-way or board is at a slight inclination, and lherethe separate gun D is to be used by being held in the hand of theplayer. The discharge end of the gun may rest or not upon the bottom ofthe alley, as desired. The projectiles which I prefer to use inconnection with this device are disks E, of suitable size, although itshould be understood that spheres or cylinders may be used if desired.The disks, however, have the advantage of being light, inexpensive, andeasily directed, and allowing of a more compact arrangement of theindicating devices and the target, as will be hereinafter seen.

The gun D may be of any suitable form, comprising a barrel or trough, h,of suitable length, with a longitudinal groove in its surface for thereception and guidance of the projectiles. At the handle end of the guna.

notch, d, is formed on the under side, reaching up into the longitudinalgroove, so as to form a pocket for the projectile, which will rest inthe groove in the notch, as shown in Fig. 5, until raised by the fingerof the user and thereby tilted forward, so as to run down thelongitudinal groove in the surface of the gun. The latter is tilted orheld to such an angle that a sufficient impetus will be imparted to theprojectile to roll quickly down to the target end of the alley orgame-board. For convenience of manufacture I make the gun out of sheetmetal bent into the trough form shown in Fig. 5, and I form the handleby soldering or otherwise affixing to this trough a piece of bent wire,(1 Strengthening-clips c are applied to the barrel of the gun, as shown.

The target consists of a suitable number of indicating-levers, e,mounted on a transverse axis, F, which is fixed in a frame, f, securedto the side walls of the alley or board. These indicating-levers e areseparated from each other by guidewashers e, the lower edges of whichextend slightly down below the lower arms of the levers, for a purposeexplained hereinafter. Between the end washers and the side pieces ofthe frame I arrange suitable spacing-ferrules, f The construction ofthese indicating-levers 6 will be understood more fully on reference tothe perspective view, Fig. 6, from which it will be seen that the longarm of the lever carries at its upper end a plate, 0 on which is anumber or other device, such as is usually adopted inindicating-targets.

The short arm of the lever is inclined backward, so that when therolling projectile strikes it the lever will readily tilt forward, andthere will be less likelihood of the projectile being entirely stoppedor knocked down than if that arm of the lever were vertical.

For convenience and economy of manufacture I prefer to stamp theselevers up out of sheet metal, as will be understood by refer ence toFig. 6, the bearing for the transverse shaft or axis F being formed bylugs l, bent up as indicated in the drawings.

The plate carrying the number on each le-' ver is bent up also out ofthe same piece of metal, and is arranged at an. angle to longitudinalline drawn through the lever, as will be seen 011 reference to Fig. 2,so that the plates of the several lovers can overlap each other, and thelevers consequently will be brought closely together without reducingthe size of the number-plates, so as to prevent the numbers from beingreadily seen.

The several levers when in their upright positions rest against and aresupported by a small transverse rod, 7a, which is adapted to short slotsin the opposite side pieces of the frame f, the object of the slotsbeing to allow of a certain limited movement of the rod 70. Sufficientlimited movement may, however, be allowed the rod by making it yieldingor elastic, for the purpose which I will explain hereinafter.

\Vhen the levers e are in the upright position, their lower ends are atsuch a distance from the bottom of the alley-way that the proj ectile E,rolling down the alley, can come into contact with said short arms, andby striking them cause the indicating-levers to fall into the horizontalposition, so as to show the player which of the levers has been knockeddown and the number thereof.

It is preferable to so grade the numbers that the higher ones are nearthe center, and when the central lever is struck, as hereinafterdescribed, the score will be a bulls-eye. The central lever has pivotedto it an arm, p, which lies at the back of the yielding rod 70, so thatif the lower end of the central indicating-lever, e, be struck by therolling projectile this lever itself will be thrown forward, and at thesame time, by the action of the arm 19 upon the yielding red, the latterwill receive sufficient of a blow and be thrown forward sufficiently tojerk or throw all the other levers down at the same time, making thescore what would be termed a bulls-eye. I prefer to combine with thiscentral lever, to further indicate the bullseye score, a bell, H, whichmay be supported, as shown in the drawings, upon the yoke f. The clapperh of the bell is carried by the central lever, e, and by preference thisclapper forms a part of the arm 13, the two being made out of one pieceand hinged to the central lever, e, at a, as shown in Figs. 4 and 7, sothat when the central lever, c, is hit by the rolling projectile it istilted forward, and the arm 1) strikes against the back of the rod tothrow the latter forward, and with it all the other levers, and at thesame time the clapper h is thrown up against the bell. lVhen any of thelevers fall down, as described, they fall onto a wire yoke, m, mountedin bearings in the side pieces of the frame f. This yoke m has at theouter end of one of its axes an arm, n, to which is connected a spring,5, on one side and an operating cord or wire, 25, on the other side.This operating-cord is carried up to the upper end of the alley-way orboard and provided with a stop-button, 25, within reach of the player,so that when any of the levers e are knocked down in the course of thegame the player can at once, by pulling this cord against the action ofthe spring 3, turn the yoke m, so as to return the levers to theirupright positions.

Owing to the extension of the washers 6 down below the tilting leversand the backward projection of the lower arms of the latter, the disks Eare guided in their passage through and are prevented from falling overonto one side, as they might otherwise do, when they strike the lowerends of the levers 6.

By the construction described a cheaply and easily constructed gameapparatus is provided, as both the levers and the washers can all beeconomically stamped out and readily put together by stringing them uponthe axis in proper order.

I claim as my invention- 1. The herein-described gun for targetgameapparatus, said gun having a longitudinal groove on its upper face andhaving a pocket at the upper end of the groove for the projectile, thesaid gun being adapted to be held at an angle to propel the projectile,substantially as set forth.

2. The herein-described gun for a targetgame, said gun having alongitudinal groove on its upper surface and a transverse notch 011 theunder side extending up into the longitudinal groove at the handle end,substantially as described.

3. The herein-described indicating-target for rolling projectiles,consisting of the combination of the frame, a transverse axis, and aseries of tilting indicating-levers mounted on the axis, with a yieldingsupporting-rod for the levers and an arm on one of said levers to act onthe said rod, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of the alleyway, frame, and axis with tilting leverscarrying at their upper ends overlapping indicating plates and havingtheir lower ends in the path of the projectile, and pendent washersbetween the indicating levers, substantially as set forth.

5. The herein-described tilting levers for game apparatus, each leverhaving a numberplate, bent lower end, and bearing-lugs, all stamped upout of one piece of metal.

6. The herein-described gun for a targetgame, said gun being. composedof bent-up sheet metal to form a longitudinal groove in its uppersurface and having a handle of wire, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of the alleyway, frame, axis, and tilting levers witha transverse rod, 70, a bell, and an arm on one of the levers bearing onthe transverse rod and having a bell-clapper, substantially as setforth. S. The combination of the tilting indicat ing-levers of a gameapparatus with a pivoted lifting-yoke, m, a spring for the said yoke,and an actuating cord or wire, I, all substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

\Vitnesses: DAVID BROOKS, JR.

WILLIAM D. CONNER, HARRY SMITH.

